About once a month I go out on a date. Yes, I’m married, but don’t get the wrong idea. I take myself out on this date….to Barnes and Noble. Before you get all “support indies” on me…I go TO LOOK. It’s a research trip. Which books are displayed face out?What book is B&N’s “Picture Book of the Month”?

These are the books in which the publishers are invested—the ones they think will do well and deserve such premiere placement. They have paid for the privilege to get their books front and center. As I stroll through the picture books, I take note of each book’s subject matter. What’s on the cover? How is it drawing my attention?

Of interest this trip is Ame Dyckman and Zacharia OHora’s WOLFIE THE BUNNY. Look at how that bright yellow background and those bold black strokes stand out. What I also notice about this book is that it contains a common theme—a new baby in the family. However, this isn’t about a human baby with a big sister or brother whining about it, which you often see in new writers’ manuscripts…no… …it’s about a baby wolf being adopted into a bunny family! How brilliant! Ame takes a common theme and completely turns it on its little fluffy tail. Dot, the big bunny sister, is very concerned with the new family addition: “He’s going to eat us all up!” This is Dot’s repetitive refrain through the book. Little readers will love pretending to be Dot. And the wee ones who aren’t reading yet will hear this line repeatedly and begin to make connections to the words on the page.

WOLFIE THE BUNNY offers a fresh twist on the baby theme. So this is what I want you to look out for as you’re reading this month. All these books take something familiar and transform it into something new.

Got a new pet idea? See ME WANT PET or CHILDREN MAKE TERRIBLE PETS.All these books think “outside the box”. ME WANT PET is set in caveman times and written in caveman language. Kids love to bring stray pets home to ask “can I keep him?” But what happens when a bear wants to keep a pet boy?

Look at the covers. What pictures will attract children? Construction trucks!Cupcakes! Saber-toothed tigers! Grandparents! Unicorns! These are all things that kids LOVE. They’ll go dashing over, pick these books up and shake them in their parents faces. "Please, oh, Please?!"

Make sure what you’re writing about is equally attractive to a kid’s eyes. Don’t write yet another common story. Read this month to discover what makes each book fresh and special, and then infuse your story with your own dose of magic. Remember, take yourself out on a date this month. Heck, maybe even treat yourself twice. You deserve it!

Street magic performer. Hog-calling champion. Award-winning ice sculptor. These are all things Tara Lazar has never been. Instead, she writes quirky, humorous picture books featuring magical places that adults never find. Her debut picture book, THE MONSTORE, is available now from Aladdin/Simon & Schuster. Her other books coming soon are:

Thanks for the book recommendations and ideas! I haven't read some of these.

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Maria Laso

3/6/2015 07:35:23 pm

Tara, you're a rock star!

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Derick Wilder

3/6/2015 08:46:14 pm

Whew - thanks so much for this post, Tara. Glad to know I'm not the only one who uses B & N for research on the latest books that "sell". Sometimes, for cover, I take my 6-year-old girl, so I can pretend I'm spending so much time in the children's section for her. ;)

Tara, I LOVED this post! Thanks for helping me thinking about how to infuse magic into my story and using mentor texts to do that!

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Elaine Kiely Kearns

3/6/2015 11:45:06 pm

Such a great post, thanks Tara!!!

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Sydney O'Neill

3/7/2015 12:10:23 am

Thanks for these recommendations, Tara. THE MONSTORE is another great fresh take on a universal theme.

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Julie Burchstead

3/7/2015 12:12:20 am

Hi Tara,
I don't know why it never occurred to me that marketing drives book placement though it makes perfect sense. I am having a "Duh Ralph" moment. I will see my local bookstore through new eyes! Thanks for the list. I am headed to the library.

I was at B&N yesterday and saw exactly what you describe! I also was overloaded with racks of series books and movie tie ins. How many Pete the Cat books are there now? Then I looked for some of the best titles on our recent lists - tracking Z is for Moose - and there did not appear to be anything older than 18 months unless it had a Caldecott or a later spin off. Wow!

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Carrie Charley Brown

3/7/2015 12:26:26 pm

A true testament to how competitive the picture book market is and how much we can learn from what is being published today. Sounds like you had a great research date! :)

Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site is still out as is Dragons Love Tacos. Both older titles, about 2-3 years old! That's staying power!

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Juliann (Juli) Caveny

3/7/2015 12:27:22 am

I'm a firm believer in "DATING"...Last Monday I picked-up--ME WANT PET and read it to my 7th/8th grade students on Read Aloud Day. (My nickname name at school and pretty much everywhere is CAVEWOMAN so it's only fitting...) They loved it! It's so simply yet the wc conveys so much! (Plus it's the perfect example of narrative plot-3 set up!)

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Carrie Charley Brown

3/7/2015 12:21:26 pm

Tammi's books are prime plot examples! I love that you are reading picture books to 7th/8th graders! :)

What a great idea! I need to date the bookstore more.
I don't have a Barnes and Nobles nearby, so I do something that works ALMOST as well in the meantime. I watch which books children pick up in the library. What is it about the covers that made children choose that book? This helps me know what the kids are reading, but it doesn't help me see what books publishers have paid prime bookstore real estate for.

I used to do this about once a month.... but this winter I've been snowed in (depending on interlibrary loan). As soon as the clock springs forward, I'm heading down to B&N for a long-awaited picture book date. Thanks for reminding us how fun it is! Oh yeah, and there's a "real" reason as well...

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Debra Daugherty

3/7/2015 01:51:54 am

I've been dating books for years. Glad to know I'm not the only one. Great post!

Okay - I TOTALLY need to do this. When I am done here, I'm gonna PUT IT on my calendar! SO much to learn! And these books all look FABULOUS - requested several (and discovered/confirmed that I can only request 15 books total through my library card. May have to confiscate my kids' cards!!). And yes, Tara - you ARE a rock star! So many fabulous ideas, and a great perspective!

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Kathy Mazurowski

3/7/2015 02:09:25 am

My friend and I call these "field trips". (Ok, we are teachers.) We also find a nice place for lunch. Thanks for the reminder that we need to do this more often!

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Val McCammon

3/7/2015 02:14:52 am

Looking at such a trip as a date with ourselves is perfect -- and so re-energizing. Thanks, Tara!

Fun post, Tara! I go on bookstore dates with my teenage daughters about once a month. They go to the YA section and meet me in the children's section after they find books to read. I'm always behind a huge pile. I then share the great ones with them! It's one of my favorite mother-daughter rituals:)

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Deborah Allmand

3/7/2015 08:20:16 am

I truly had never thought of asking 'What if?' for a picture book plot. Brillant!! With such limited words it never seemed an option but now I see it can be done! Thanks Tara for such a great post. I have learned so much. Looking forward to reading and studying picture books in a whole new way.

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Sandy Perlic

3/7/2015 09:13:44 am

I love browsing at Barnes & Noble! Thanks for all of the great examples to research.

Tara, I just love this post. It got me all excited to be thinking about inside-out or back-to-front or whatever, but to look at stories differently. Fantastic examples, which I have read about half of and have ordered 'Wolfie' which really stands out to me.

Awesome post! Thank you so much Tara. I need to be looking differently when I hangout in the children's section at bookstores.

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Janie Reinart

3/7/2015 09:58:32 am

Tara your bio cracked me up! Lol Love the idea of a date at the bookstore to find the magic that is out of the box. Thanks for the great stack of books to check out. Congrats on your new releases ! Woohoo

Great point that perusing book stores can really show you what sellers are seeking and what seems to be selling!

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Heather Pierce Stigall

3/7/2015 10:55:00 am

Our critique group usually meets at B & N so I often go a little early to check out the children's section. I could stay there all day! I've read several books in your post and agree they create a great twist on familiar themes. Thanks for posting these and some others that I'm looking forward to reading.

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Cassie Bentley

3/7/2015 11:06:35 am

I love your sense of humor. I rewarded myself with a date at a local independent bookstore: Changing Hands in Tempe, Az. There was a reading of Dr. Seuss books and the Cat was there to take pictures with. I enjoyed watching the preschoolers wiggling and listening to the story.

I love to hang out at B&N on a "date" as well. What amazes me is how HIGH the shelves are in the children's section outside of the display at the "entrance" to the kids section. I think more kids can see the books on the bottom shelf best! Thanks Tara for so many fab titles - lots of my favorites!

Great! It's not always easy to search for books on a specific theme, though my librarian is a great resource. But...even though my library has a pretty darn good book budget, their selection is almost always completely different than B&N.

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Suzy Leopold

3/8/2015 04:35:51 am

Tara! Thank you for the excellent book recommendations. I have read most of them. I look forward to reading all. I, too like book *store dates*. My husband and I often end up at a book store while out and about on a date.

Thanks for the awesome recommendations, Tara. I've read most of them but am on a quest to find the others! My quest will probably include a date :-)

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Rene` Diane Aube

3/8/2015 06:54:36 am

Your tips on what to look for on a Barnes & Noble date are VERY helpful. :) Other than finding books that I love, I wasn't sure exactly what it meant to do research on picture books when I was able to get away to the book store. Thank you, so much, Tara.

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Kathy Phillips

3/8/2015 07:07:30 am

Thank you for the awesome post Tara :)

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Denise Engle

3/8/2015 09:55:00 am

Tara, you won't hear "support Indies" from me! I am a Barnes and Noble junkie. I sit and read. Sit and read. Sit and read!!!

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Ann Magee

3/8/2015 11:36:07 am

Thanks, Tara, for this awesome list--I definitely need to check some of these out!

I love this idea, but I have a problem. I live overseas and the English bookstores usually display ESL type books. They do have a good selection of other books - but not displayed like what you described. I liked what another commenter wrote, about going to the library and watching to see what the children are picking out - THAT might work at the school library.
Question though - Do online stores do something like this; have featured books of the month that publishers pay to have "displayed"? Just wondering as that is something I could easily check out until I get to the US and get a "real date" in.

That's a fantastic idea Tara-thank you! I usually take note of which books stand out to me but looking for the why-brush strokes, colours, themes etc. is a fantastic additional level to watch out for! I'm taking myself on a date this week lol!!! ") By the way I'm still revved up from PiBoIdMo-love having a whole pile of ideas to go to each month!!!

I love this collection of books - common theme with a fresh twist!
I've read a number of these, and I'm happy to see there are more to check out at the library.

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Valerie Larson-Howard

3/9/2015 02:43:15 am

I regularly go to Barnes and Noble and do the exact thing you suggested. I often think, "How can I write a book that will fit in with the today's market but also stand out among the others?" It is tricky, but activities like the trips to B&N will help. (I should also note that in gathering my books to study for ReFoReMo, I've included one of my favorites, The Monstore. I love the language and the brother/sister relationship. I love the squirmy worms and the craziness of how they keep adding more monsters. I read it to a kindergarten class last year, and they loved it so much I had to loan it to them for a week. Although we did have a question, what is crab leg casserole? Sounds disgusting.)

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Linda Kujawski

3/9/2015 02:59:25 am

Thanks, Tara. Heading to my local bookstore this week with list in hand. Great suggestions from an amazing writer. Thank you!!!

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Sandy Powell

3/9/2015 03:47:16 am

I admit I love going into Barnes and Noble for many reasons, and I know to go in there and check out what's in the children's section, but you have given us a different approach to this idea. Thanks, and thanks for all you do for the picture book world.

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Noel Csermak

3/9/2015 05:22:30 am

Thank you Tara, you always seem to have a fresh way to present your ideas. Can't wait for date night!

Tara, EASTER CAT and BEEKLE immediately caught my attention on a recent "date" in Barnes & Noble. I love the interaction with the "voiceless" cat. How creative and fun! I can't wait to beack and read the others you mentioned. Thank you.

Fantastic post, Tara! Thank you for the recommendations. Well, off to the library and bookstore! :D

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Jeanette Bradley

3/30/2015 12:44:28 am

You inspired me to take myself out for a date to B&N and check out the displays. The salespeople were suspicious of my taking notes on which books were face out. I think they thought I was a mystery shopper. Very fun.

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Karen Nordseth Roos

3/30/2015 03:38:54 pm

thank you for the reminder, tara. it's so fun (and important) to check out the bookstore! i admit to taking surreptitious iPhone photos of various books that i resonate with...

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Anita Banks

3/31/2015 03:32:57 am

Thank you for the suggestions!

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Amie Valore-Caplan

3/31/2015 05:53:40 am

Tara, thank you so much for the many ways you inspire us! Thanks for the reminder to do research in bookstores as well!

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Ellen Sirianni

3/31/2015 10:57:59 am

Great post! I am definitely taking myself out on a date.

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Illustration by Lori Nawyn

ReFoReMo

March 1-31The ReFoReMo Challenge, or Reading for Research Month Challenge, was developed to help picture book writers reform writing by reading and researching picture books. Challenge registration opens February 15. To find out more or to subscribe to the Reading for Research Blog for weekly posts year round, visit our new exclusive site at www.reforemo.com.